Finger mask and apparatus for polishing fingernails

ABSTRACT

A housing defines a chamber in which the tip of a finger may be positioned and a compartment for holding an aerosol can. Structure is included defining a nail polish delivery path for confining nail polish sprayed from an aerosol can mounted in the compartment, thereby to direct sprayed nail polish to the chamber to spray a fingernail positioned therein. A dryer is mounted in the housing for drying sprayed fingernails and a mask made of an elastic flexible material is provided for stretching around and masking a finger tip from sprayed nail polish while exposing the fingernail.

United States Patent [191 Doornbos 1 FINGER MASK AND APPARATUS FOR POLISHING FINGERNAILS [75] Inventor: William A. Doornbos, Fountain Valley, Calif.

[73] Assignee: Richard W. Beall, Jr., Torrance,

Calif. a part interest [22] Filed: July 27, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 166,344

[52] US. Cl ..l32/73.6 [51] Int. Cl. ..A45d 29/05 [58] Field of Search ..13/73, 73.5, 73.6, 13/745, 75, 75.3, 88.7, 88.5, 1; 222/194; 1 18/64 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,722,224 11/1955 Blann ..132/88.5 1,340,544 5/1920 Hopkins ..118/64 3,258,853 7/1966 Bradbury... ..132/73.5 2,094,962 10/1937 Raworth ..132/88.5 2,251,551 8/1941 OReilly ..132/88.5

11] 3,73mfi 1 May 1, 1973 3,461,885 8/1969 Coveney 132/885 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 534,230 1955 Belgium l32/73.5

Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-J. Q. Lever Attorney-Huebner & Worrel [5 7 ABSTRACT A housing defines a chamber in which the tip of a finger may be positioned and a compartment for holding an aerosol can. Structure is included defining a nail polish deliverypath for confining nail polish sprayed from an aerosol can mounted in the compartment, thereby to direct sprayed nail polish to the chamber to spray a fingernail positioned therein. A dryer is mounted in the housing for drying sprayed fingernails and a mask made of an elastic flexible material is provided for stretching around and masking a finger tip from sprayed nail polish while exposing the fingernail.

1 1 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures Patented May 1, 1973 3,730,191

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 li a .1. 3

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Patented May 1, 1973 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I9 fxvvgp/fo/i. 22 mil/QM AZ Doom/50$ 5 Hum zflm/ BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to fingernail polishing and more particularly to an improved mask and apparatus for use in polishing fingernails.

Fingernail polish is applied to fingernails by women for the purpose of enhancing their natural beauty.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide an improved and novel mask for attaching to the end of a finger which functions to mask the skin portion of the finger tip while exposing the fingernail to be polished and which is suitable for use in combination with an aerosol can of nail polish so that nail polish may be applied in a relatively rapid manner to fingernails.

It is further an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus suitable for use with an aerosol can of nail polish to polish fingernails.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for spraying and drying nail polish on fingernails in a relatively rapid manner.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for spraying nail polish on fingernails which includes an aerosol can of nail polish.

In accomplishing these and other objects, there'is provided in accordance with the present invention, a housing defining a chamber for receiving the tip of the finger and a compartment for holding an aerosol can of nail polish. The housing includes baffle structure defining a delivery path for confining nail polish sprayed from the aerosol can to thereby direct it to the finger receiving chamber so as to spray a fingernail positioned therein. Additionally, guide structure is provided for aligning the spray ejector of the aerosol can with the baffle structure and the finger receiving chamber. Dryer means are also mounted in the housing for drying sprayed fingernails and a mask made of an elastic and flexible material is included for stretching around the end of a finger. The mask functions to mask the skin portion of the finger tip while exposing the fingernail to be sprayed and has an opening defined therein which conforms when the mask is stretched and held in place to the fingernail to be sprayed.

Additional objects of the present invention reside in the specific construction of the exemplary mask and apparatus for polishing fingernails hereinafter particularly described in the specification and shown in the several drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembly for spraying nail polish on fingernails and drying the sprayed fingernails according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the assembly of FIG. 1 taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the assembly of FIG. 1 taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a rear elevation view of the FIG. 1 showing enclosed parts in phantom;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the assembly of FIG. 1 taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a finger mask according to the present invention in its unstretched condition; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the finger mask of FIG. 6 illustrating the mask stretched in place around the end ofa finger.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION or THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings in more detail, there is shown an apparatus generally identified by the numeral assembly of I 11 for spraying nail polish onto fingernails. The apparatus 11 includes an aerosol can 13. The aerosol can 13 includes a conventional depressable type spray ejector l5 and contains nail polish under pressure. The nail polish may be, for example, a lacquer or an enamel. The apparatus ll has a housing 17 which is formed to have an outer peripheral edge 19. The housing 17 is preferably formed so that its outer peripheral edge 19 is substantially square-shaped and lies in a plane which is generally positioned in the horizontal. The portion of the housing 17 below the peripheral edge 19 is made up of bottom side panels 21-24 which extend downwardly and inwardly from the edge 19 and are interconnected by a bottom floor panel 25. The bottom side panels 21, 22 and 23-24 are positioned, respectively, at the front, rear and along the sides of the apparatus 11 and are interconnected. The housing 17 is formed above the peripheral edge 19 by an upward curving or arced top portion 27 which extends between the front and rear bottom panels 21 and 22. The top portion 27 is preferably formed so that it gradually narrows from each end toward its rounded curved uppermost portion 29. Side panels 31 and 33 are formed to extend inwardly from the edge 19 to fill. and close. the area between the bottom panels 23 and. 24, respectively, and the adjacent edges of the top portion 27, thereby to form the closed housing 17. y

In the right side of the housing 1.7 as shown in FIG. I, an opening 35 is formed in the curved top portion 29 for receiving the aerosol can 13. Since the aerosol can 13 is preferably cylindrical in shape, the opening 35 is formed to have a substantially circular cross section. Wall structure 37 is mounted in the housing 17 to extend between the top portion 27 and the panel 22 to define a walled preferably cylindrical compartment for receiving and holding the aerosol can 13. The wall structure 37 has an opening 39 formed in its upper end which is positioned to be in alignment with the spray ejector of an aerosol can 13 positioned in the compart- Additionally, the opening 35 for receiving the aerosol can 13 is preferably shaped to define a rearwardly extending V-shaped slot 41. The aerosol can 13 has a top cover 43 which fits on the upper portion of the can 13 and around the aerosol ejector 15. The top 'cover 43 is shaped to mate or interfit with the V-shaped groove 41 so that the V-shaped groove 41 in conjunction with the top cover 43 provide interfitting guide structure which functions to mount the aerosol can 13 in the housing 17 in a fixed nonrotatable position. A

shoe 45 is mounted on the upper portion of the spray align the spray ejector with the hole 39.

, An opening 51 is formed in the top portion 27 adjacent the front peripheral edge 19 for receiving the end or tip ofa human finger 53,as shown in FIG. 2. The

opening 51 is aligned with the spray path 50 of liquid may be selectively switched on or off by means of the switch 75. The switch 75 is shownmounted on the bottom side panel 23. The leads 73 are fed through a relatively large opening 77 defined in the rear bottom panel 22. The opening 77 functions as a means of access for passing the leads 73 into the housing 17, as a place for nail polish ejected from the ejector spray outlet 49.

Baffle structure 55 is formed along the left-handed side, as shown in FIG. 5, of the spray path 50 to confine the spray pathof and thereby direct nail polish sprayed from the ejector 15 to a point just below the finger receiving opening 51. The region just below the finger receiving opening 51 is designated for purposes of discussion a finger receiving chamber 52 and this chamber 52 is defined by the housing 17. With a finger tip 53 positioned in this chamber 52 as shown in FIG. 2, nail'polish from the aerosol can 13 may be sprayed upon fingernail 57. It is noted that inward extending wall portions 59 may be formed around the hole 51 to provide an area upon which the finger tip 53 may rest when inserted in the finger receiving hole 51.

Mounted in the'portion of the housing 17 adjacent the upper side panel 33 is adryer means for drying'fim gernails after they have been sprayed with liquid nail polish. The dryer is made up of an air circulating fan having a fan motor 61 and fan blades 63. The fan is mounted on a horizontally extending floormember 65 whichextends between the front and rear walls of the top portion 27 and the side panel 33. The fan motor 61 is mounted on the floor member 65 and the fan blades 7 63 are connected to the motor 61. to rotate below the floor member 65. Walls 67 and 69 are'provided at the rear of the fan blades 63 and the side of the fan blades 63 adjacent to the finger receiving chamber 52, respectively, to substantially isolate the finger receiving chamber 52 from the air flow generated by rotation of the fan blades 63. Rotation of the fan blades 63, thus, generates an air flow which'is directed toward the lefthand portion of the front bottom panel 21, as viewed from the front in FIG. 1. Baffles or vent means 71 are formed in the left sided portion of the panel 21, as shown in FIG. 1, to direct this fan generated air flow outward from the front of the housing 17. Thereby, an

. air flow is generated which may be utilized to dry fingernails which have been sprayed.

The fan motor 61 which is a conventional A/C type is powered by electrical current received over electrical leads 73 from a standard household A/C supply. A conventional on-off switch 75 is preferably connected in one of the leads 73 so that the fan motor 61 and the fan storing the leads 73, and also due to its relatively large size functions as a ventilating means through which part of the heat generated by the fan motor 61 may escape the housing 17. It is noted that a battery powered fan could alternately be employed as a dryer in the apparatus 11.-Small preferably non-scratching feet members 79 are secured to the bottom of the bot- 7 tom panel 25 so that the apparatus 11 may be posi tioned on a flat surface, such as a table.

The apparatus 11 is designed for use with a finger mask 91 which is shown in its unstretched condition in FIG. 6. The mask 91 is made or cut from a piece of elastic and flexible sheet material, preferably a soft pliable rubber. The mask 91 is shaped to have a width which is sufficiently long to stretch around any of the fingers of a 'human hand, including the thumb. An opening 93 is formed in the forward portion of the mask 91 and the opening is cut to be smaller than but substantially the shape of a fingernail. The mask 91 is I used by stretching it around a finger tip 53, as shown in FIG. 2, and stretching the opening 93 so that it conforms to and thereby exposes a fingernail 57. Aprotrusion or attaching means 95 which is rigid is attached on one side preferably near the edge of the widest portion of the mask 91-for securing the mask 91 under tension around theend of a finger. The protrusion or protrude ing portion 95 functions to secure the finger mask 91 in place around the end of the finger since the rubber sheet material of the mask catches onto the protrusion 95 as shown in FIG. 7 and is thus held under tension by the protrusion 95, as shown in FIG. 2. With the mask 91 installed in place on the end of a persons finger 53,

the'skin portion .of the finger tip above the fingernail 57 is masked by the width of the mask 91 while the skin portion of the finger tip 53 below the fingernail 57 is masked by the overlapping fiat portion 97 of the finger mask 91 which has been pulled over the nail 57 so-as to. seat between the nail 57 and theu'pper'portion of the end'of the finger 53.

With the finger mask 91 appropriately secu'redon.

the end of a finger 53 so as to only expose .thefi'ngernail 57, the apparatus 11 may be used-to spray nail polish on the fingernail57. The apparatus 11 is used byplacing the finger 53 within the opening 51'so that the fin gernail 57 is positioned below the rim or walled portion 59 of the opening 51. The shoe 45'on the aerosol spray ejector 15 may then be depressed, as indicated by the directional arrow in FIG. 2, to'spray nail polish thro ugh the opening 39 and along the spray path 50 onto the fingernail 57. The baffle structure 55along'with the opening 39 function to confine or channel the-spray path of the sprayed nail polishin the direction of the fingernail 57 by defining a nail polish delivery path.

Once the fingernail 57 has been sprayed, the on-off' switch may be turned on to energize-the fan motor 61. Fan blades 63 are thus turned by the motor 61 and a stream of air is generated out the air vents 71. The finger 53 may be then removed from the opening 51 and its fingernail 57 placed in'the air stream flowing'out of the vents 71, thereby to dry the sprayed fingernail.

Before, after or while drying the sprayed fingernail 57, the mask 91 may be removed and placed around the end of another finger so that its fingernail may be sprayed in the aforedescribed manner. It is noted that several or a plurality of masks 9l may be provided with the apparatus 11 so that each or several of the fingers of a hand may be masked prior to spraying the nail polish, thereby the operation of spraying and then drying sprayed fingernails could be accomplished in a rapid and efficient manner. Further, it is noted that the finger masks 91 could be used in applying nail polish to fingernails even without the apparatus 11 and the aerosol can 13 can be hand held to spray nail polish on masked finger tips.

Although I have herein shown and described my invention in what I have conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of my invention.

lclaim:

1. Apparatus for polishing fingernails, comprising:

a housing, said housing defining a chamber in which the tip of a finger may be positioned, said housing also defining a compartment spaced apart from said chamber, said compartment'removably holding a separate aerosol can of nail polish having a spray ejector with an outlet opening therein;

means for maintaining said aerosol can so oriented in said compartment as to direct said outlet opening toward said chamber; said means comprising a first member attached to said spray ejector and a second member engageable with said first member and attached to said housing; one of said members having a portion of non-circular configuration and the other of said members having a non-circular opening fitting said portion; and

structure including at least one baffle defining a delivery path between said compartment and said chamber for confining the path of nail polish ejected from an aerosol can positioned in said compartment thereby to direct sprayed nail polish to said chamber so as to spray the fingernail of a finger tip positioned therein.

2. The invention recited in claim 1, including selectively operable dryer means mounted in said housing for drying sprayed fingernails.

3. The invention defined in claim 2, wherein said dryer means comprises:

a fan mounted within said housing to create an airflow therein; and I baffle means for directing the airflow created by said fan to a selected location outside of said housing whereat sprayed fingernails may be positioned.

4. The invention defined in claim 3, including wall means mounted within said housing for substantially isolating said chamber from the airflow generated by the operation of said fan.

5. The invention defined in claim 4, wherein said baffle means directs said airflow to a selected location adjacent the portion of said housing whereat said chamber is defined.

6. The invention defined in claim 1, including and guide structure means mounted on said aerosol can which inter-fits with said housing to align said aerosol can with said delivery path. t

. The invention recited in claim 1, in combination with means for masking the skin portion of a finger tip while exposing the fingernail.

8. The invention recited in claim 1, wherein said masking means is a piece of elastic and flexible sheet material designed for stretching around the end'of a human finger having an opening c ut therein which conforms when said piece of material is stretched around a finger to the shape of its fingernail, and said masking means includes attaching means for securing piece of material around the end of a finger.

9. The invention recited in claim 8, wherein said attaching means is a rigid protruding portion secured on said material upon which said material when stretched around the end of a finger catches so as to be held thereby under tension in place.

10. The invention recited in claim 6, in combination with means for masking the skin portion of afinger tip while exposing the fingernail.

11. The invention recited in claim 10, including selectively operable dryer means mounted in said housing for drying sprayed fingernails. 

1. Apparatus for polishing fingernails, comprising: a housing, said housing defining a chamber in which the tip of a finger may be positioned, said housing also defining a compartment spaced apart from said chamber, said compartment removably holding a separate aerosol can of Nail polish having a spray ejector with an outlet opening therein; means for maintaining said aerosol can so oriented in said compartment as to direct said outlet opening toward said chamber; said means comprising a first member attached to said spray ejector and a second member engageable with said first member and attached to said housing; one of said members having a portion of non-circular configuration and the other of said members having a non-circular opening fitting said portion; and structure including at least one baffle defining a delivery path between said compartment and said chamber for confining the path of nail polish ejected from an aerosol can positioned in said compartment thereby to direct sprayed nail polish to said chamber so as to spray the fingernail of a finger tip positioned therein.
 2. The invention recited in claim 1, including selectively operable dryer means mounted in said housing for drying sprayed fingernails.
 3. The invention defined in claim 2, wherein said dryer means comprises: a fan mounted within said housing to create an airflow therein; and baffle means for directing the airflow created by said fan to a selected location outside of said housing whereat sprayed fingernails may be positioned.
 4. The invention defined in claim 3, including wall means mounted within said housing for substantially isolating said chamber from the airflow generated by the operation of said fan.
 5. The invention defined in claim 4, wherein said baffle means directs said airflow to a selected location adjacent the portion of said housing whereat said chamber is defined.
 6. The invention defined in claim 1, including and guide structure means mounted on said aerosol can which interfits with said housing to align said aerosol can with said delivery path.
 7. The invention recited in claim 1, in combination with means for masking the skin portion of a finger tip while exposing the fingernail.
 8. The invention recited in claim 1, wherein said masking means is a piece of elastic and flexible sheet material designed for stretching around the end of a human finger having an opening cut therein which conforms when said piece of material is stretched around a finger to the shape of its fingernail, and said masking means includes attaching means for securing piece of material around the end of a finger.
 9. The invention recited in claim 8, wherein said attaching means is a rigid protruding portion secured on said material upon which said material when stretched around the end of a finger catches so as to be held thereby under tension in place.
 10. The invention recited in claim 6, in combination with means for masking the skin portion of a finger tip while exposing the fingernail.
 11. The invention recited in claim 10, including selectively operable dryer means mounted in said housing for drying sprayed fingernails. 